Rolf Harris to be given Academy Fellowship at Bafta TV Awards

Australian legend will receive the highest honour at the ceremony later this month

Rolf Harris has been named as the recipient of the Academy Fellowship award at this year’s Bafta TV Awards.

The 81-year-old artist, musician and animal lover will be handed the honour, recognising his “outstanding and exceptional contribution to television” at the ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall on May 27.

On learning about the award, the Australian legend said simply: “I’m hugely honoured and very thrilled.” Bafta chairman Tim Corrie added: “Rolf Harris is one of the world’s most iconic entertainers. He has huge audience appeal across multiple generations.”

As well as lengthy career singing and playing the didgeridoo, Harris has enjoyed a TV career spanning almost 60 years. He joined the BBC in 1953, but became a cult figure for children with drawing show Rolf’s Cartoon Club, going on to host adult show. Rolf On Art. He is equally well-loved for presenting [i]Animal Hospital/i] for 10 years from 1994.

In more recent years he has also made appearances at Glastonbury performing classics like ‘Two Little Boys’ and his celebrated cover of Led Zeppelin‘s ‘Stairway To Heaven’.

Past winners of the Fellowship include Sir Bruce Forsyth, Dawn French, Richard Curtis, Jennifer Saunders and Trevor McDonald. This year’s ceremony will be hosted for BBC One by Dara O Briain.